Permission to Rest

Just a few weeks into my fifth pregnancy, my doctor ordered strict bed rest.

A hemorrhage, substantially larger than the growing baby, threatened both my life and the baby’s. My only option left me on my back for months.

With four little ones already scurrying around my house, this idea of bed rest sent me reeling. I crossed my arms and threw a temper tantrum to top any two-year old.

What are you thinking, God? How can I possibly be more useful for you in this bed? Who will clean my house and love my children? How will I show others your love for them from here?!

After days of tears and prayers, I settled into my new reality. God met all our needs. He sent us angels who cooked meals, cleaned the house, oversaw homeschool, and included me as much as possible.

I remember days when my kids played in our room. They threw the football, spotted lizards out the window, giggled and smiled. We read the Bible together as a family on that bed. We prayed together from that bed.

But more than all of that, I grew closer to God from that bed. I stacked books next to me and finally read them. I spent hours pouring over Scripture. Talking to God and waiting to hear from Him. Time, I hate to say, I never would have spent if God allowed me to remain on my feet.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:11 (ESV)

If God took time to rest, don’t you think you should?

The problem is, our over-achieving fast-forward pace treats rest like a four-letter word. We substitute rest for words like lazy or weak. We paint the picture of white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water. A retreat from reality that requires a plane ride or hike up a mountain.

We deem it unnecessary; and every moment we succumb to this idea of rest, we fret over someone passing us on the ladder to victory.

But true rest looks quite different.

With no motive or intention we come together with family, friends, or our Heavenly Father and sit awhile. We simply want to be there. We talk without glancing at the clock. We listen without wondering what we will do later that day. We offer our whole heart and soul to that moment. That day. That person.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)

Too often we include our time with God on our to-do list. As the list grows the time we allow to sit with our Savior shortens. We reason the other things must get done and hurry through the only real source of life we’ll find this side of heaven.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” John 14:6 (ESV)

God gives you permission to toss your to-do list aside and hang out with Him. In fact, He does more give you permission, He invites you into His presence. He wants to talk to you. He wants to hang out … for awhile.

So, realistically, how do we do this? Here are a few suggestions I’ve gathered over the years:

1. Keep a pen & paper close during your time with God. Jot down “to-do” thoughts that try to lure you away. This way you won’t forget them, but you also won’t be distracted by them.
2. Get with God in your first discretionary moment. You may find your day starts before your feet hit the floor and time with God is virtually impossible. Do what your day demands, but in that first moment of rest you find, reach for your Bible. It may be when the kids nap or on a lunch break. It may even be in the bathroom for a few minutes! Ask God to show you those minutes and set them aside for Him.
3. Snatch Scripture and pray without ceasing. Even when you don’t have a block of time, you can choose to invite God into your day. Speak Scripture out loud as you change a diaper. Pray in the car on the way to work. Before you respond to a situation, talk to God.

After several months of bed rest, God gave us a happy, healthy 9-pound baby on Good Friday morning. We celebrate Isaiah’s life today as well as all God did in our lives during those months of uncertainty.

Faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains. Give God any amount of your time. Commit to prioritize resting in His arms and see how He changes you.

Will you add one of these suggestions to your daily routine? Leave a Comment!